The first murmurs of love
by mimijag
Summary: Happy LSL week 2015. And happy birthday to my dear friends Cassiemortmain and Yankeecountess. I often wondered: first, what would have happened if Cora didn't have her miscarriage and second, how Sybil started to hang out in the garage with Branson. Here is one of my takes on this with a mix of the two.


I often wondered: first, what would have happened if Cora didn't have her miscarriage and second, how Sybil started to hang out in the garage with Branson. Here is one of my takes on this with a mix of the two. This is my VERY belated gift for Cassiemortmain's birthday and VERY, VERY belated gift for Yankeecountess. Thank you for reading. And reviewing...

 **The First Murmurs of Love**

 **Downton Abbey, July 1915**

"Oh no, no, no… " Sybil groaned loudly after one of the wheels on the landau refused to turned anymore.

She took a look inside to see if the sudden stop woke the baby but he was still soundly asleep so she stepped aside to try and see what was wrong with the wheel. She was gone for more than an hour now and if she wasn't back soon, her family would for sure send a search party on the estate.

After lunch, and after being once again brushed off by her father when she asked questions about the war, she couldn't stand it anymore. Being in this house with everybody stopping their conversation as she was near, trying to "preserve" her from what was happening in the world because she was the youngest, was slowly driving her mad. So she convinced her mother to let her have a stroll in the park with her little brother, but only after promising to bring him back in time to his nanny for his feeding.

But Sybil being Sybil, her adventurous mind took the best of her and soon, the park wasn't big enough so she decided to explore some of the alleys of the forest around the park. The trees had a calming effect on her nerves and put her mind at ease, simply enjoying the beauty and peace around. Everything was fine until the damn thing decided to stop at once as its wheels were protesting against the rough paths.

So, that's where she was now, still a fair distance from the house, alone in the woods with a broken landau and a sleeping baby who probably will wake up at the same time as his empty stomach. She was cursing after herself as well as after the landau, kicking it furiously as if it would bring it back to life.

She was so engrossed in her angst that she didn't see a male figure emerging from a group of trees who was observing her with a smirk on his face.

"Do you need some help, Milady?" asked the voice with a thick Irish brogue.

Sybil turned around with a startle and, as soon as she saw him, her fear was replaced with a visible relief.

"Branson!" she breathed to the man who was leaning against a tree, his hands in his pants' pockets. "Thank God you're here!"

"What's the matter?" he asked, walking to her.

Sybil shrugged.

"I don't know. It just refuses to roll anymore," she answered pointing to the object of Satan waiting behind her.

Tom looked at it over Sybil's shoulder then back at her.

"Do you want me to take a look?" he asked nonchalantly.

Sybil glared at him as if his question was stupid and sighed.

"Yes, thank you," she finally said. "My brother won't be long to wake up and I'd rather be back home when it happens."

"Ok," chuckled Tom as he walked by her to take a look.

He bent down and started to work on the recalcitrant wheel, shaking the landau a little bit as Sybil was observing over his shoulder.

"It's buckled. I can fix it but I need some tools. I could bring it back to the garage later. I'm afraid it means for you to pick him up and walk back home holding him. Because it's clear this thing won't take you anywhere. Is it gonna be okay or do you need some help?"

"It has to," Sybil sighed.

She leant over the landau and picked up her little brother with caution before holding him close to her while murmuring sweet words to calm him down as he was starting to fuss at being disturbed in the middle of his nap. Tom smiled tenderly at the picture in front of him and, when Sybil looked up and crossed his eyes, she felt herself blushing. Tom looked away quickly and cleared his throat.

"I'm surprised your family let you go all by yourself in the woods with the future Lord Grantham," he stated.

Sybil smiled coyly.

"They didn't exactly allow it. I just asked for a stroll in the park. But I needed some space and the woods seemed like a good idea. Looks like I was wrong."

"Trying to escape the Big House?"

Sybil rolled her eyes and was about to answer when she realized suddenly that he wasn't wearing his chauffeur's uniform.

"Oh, is it your day off?" she asked.

Tom looked down to his outfit and laughed heartily.

"I wonder what gave me up…"

"Don't make fun of me," she moaned but with the hint of a smile. "I'm pretty locked up in there and I wouldn't know such things."

"But you escaped today…"

"Yes, with such a success…" She sighed heavily and looked around her. "What were you doing here? Having a stroll? A secret date?"

She bit her lower lip at her last question, wishing it wasn't the case. Tom was about to answer jokingly that maybe he was following her in hopes of talking to her but changed his mind at the last second. It sounded creepy even if said in humor.

"I like to come here on my days off when the weather is good enough. I haven't a secret date but a secret place where I like to read and dream about the future."

He paused and looked at her. She was studying him with great interest.

"Do you want me to show it to you?"

"You would share it with me?" she asked not even trying to hide her excitement.

"Of course I will," he stated. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because, I could steal it from you and come on my own sometimes," she answered with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't mind sharing," he said softly before looking up to her just in time to see the blush on her cheeks.

She smiled softly and looked at the baby in her arms.

"Follow me?"

She looked up again and saw the hand he was holding out to her. She nodded and took it but felt a pitch of regret in her belly when he released her as soon as she took a few steps in the right direction.

They walked a short distance through the trees until they reached some sort of clearing. The place, surrounded by a bunch of thick trees, looked isolated and peaceful but still bathed by the rays of the sun. It looked like heaven to Sybil and she sighed heavily.

"Wow, I'm jealous now. I envy you to have such a place to escape," she said, looking at him with a dreamy look.

"Like I said earlier, I don't mind sharing. You can come whenever you want to. After all, I come here once a week at best," he added, reminding her that he was a working man and, as such, hadn't as much free time as he would want.

She nodded shyly.

"Thank you," she breathed. "It's very thoughtful of you."

She then spotted the covert on the ground, a newspaper, some books, apples and a bottle. She laughed.

"Well, I see that you came prepared!"

"I better be. I never know how long I'll stay so…"

They stayed silent a few seconds before Tom pointed to his installation.

"Do you fancy sitting a moment with me?"

Sybil looked taken aback by his proposal and gasped before shaking her head, looking down at her baby brother who was beginning to stir again. She wanted to say yes to his offer but she knew better than defying the odds.

"I would like to. But I'm not sure it's such a good idea. Bobby will need to be fed soon."

Tom tried to hide his disappointment behind a smile and by plunging his hands in his pockets. Since they held hands at the garden party almost one year ago and with the bustle caused by the war, they haven't had a minute alone together. Not that they had before the war but he never drove her alone anymore. He was often away from the house, driving Lord Grantham from one obligation to another and it seemed like she was being taken away, locked in the house by her family, so as to preserve her from the atrocities of the war. This looked like a great opportunity to talk to her and try to find out what she was thinking about what happened that day but, as to mark Sybil's previous statement, the baby started to cry. She shushed him as much as she could but he just cried louder and louder.

"I need to go…" she said, trying to hide the panic from her voice.

After all, her experience with babies was very limited. Tom surprised her by patting the baby's back.

"Do you mind if I try something before I walk you back?"

Sybil nodded hesitantly as she watched him reach for the bottle on the covert and washed his hands with it.

"It's just water," he clarified. "Here, give him to me," he said, reaching for the baby.

Sybil did was she was told, still a little stunned by his behavior and her eyes grew even wider when she saw him stick his little finger in the baby's mouth. Bobby's cries stopped immediately as he was sucking avidly at it and Tom looked up at her.

"It works every time," he stated proudly with a smile.

He then sat on the covert, inviting her to do the same.

Still shocked but a little relieved by the silence filling the place, she sat next to him and stroked the baby's cheek with a loving smile.

"It's like magic. How did you know what to do?" she asked softly.

"I have two younger sisters. So, when I was a kid, I had to help my mother with them. It's not a final solution but it's a little trick that can be helpful to make them wait. At last, we have some time so you can tell me why you needed some time away from the house. I'm not wrong, am I?"

Sybil stopped her caress on the baby and sighed heavily.

"No, you're not. The thing is that they, my family, are driving me crazy. They treat me as if I was still a baby. Each time I ask my father about the war, he brushes me off. And when I try to get the newspaper, it's like an impossible mission: it's like it vanished as soon as my father had read it. I think that Carson is teaming up with him."

Tom contained his smile brought on by Sybil's words, imagining Carson and Lord Grantham complotting against her. She seemed to be very affected by the fact that nobody wanted to keep her informed of the situation and it wouldn't be nice to laugh about it. He watched her tear out a bunch of grass as a sign of contained anger.

"Fortunately for you," he finally stated after readjusting the baby in his arms. "You have me."

It caught Sybil's attention and she frowned to him, her heart beating faster even if she didn't exactly know why.

"What do you mean?"

"Carson always gives me his lordship's newspaper the day after so I can read it. I keep it in the garage. You can come whenever you want to read it. And I would be more than happy to let you borrow it sometimes…or even answer whatever questions you may have," he finished in a murmur, blushing furiously as if he just made a confession of love.

Sybil gasped silently. Branson had this capacity to always surprise her. She pondered his proposal (only a few seconds to be honest).

"Thank you, Branson. It's very kind of you," she said briefly putting her hand on his arm. "I may take you up on your offer so you better be ready to face some questions from me that may seem stupid."

"There aren't stupid questions and it would be my pleasure."

They looked at each other, some discomfort hanging in the air before Sybil broke the silence.

"It suits you," she said, nodding to her little brother in his arms, still sucking hard. "Do you want kids someday?"

Tom blushed.

"Aye. If I found the right girl, that is."

He looked up at her.

"You?"

"It may surprise you but I never thought about marriage and babies as it is expected for a girl like me. But, I think it's what I'm supposed to do. I mean, get married and have kids. I've been raised for this: find a good husband, with a title preferably, make an heir for him…That's my destiny."

Branson was looking at her intensely and she had to look away.

"But, is it what YOU want?"

"I'm afraid what I want isn't important," she stated, sadness in her voice.

"You shouldn't say that. You can have anything you want. You just have to fight for it! Do you remember that day when you told me about politics? What's good for me is good for you too. If I can go into politics or something other than service, then you can have the life you want too."

Sybil shrugged.

"I don't know. My world can be so…strict. So…still."

"What would you want? How would you want to see things happening if you have kids? I told you I come here to read but also to dream. So please, there's no better time for you to share your dream."

"I…"

She stopped, unsure.

"Please", he begged.

"I…If I get married, I would like it to be by love and not by some kind of arrangement. I actually want to share something with my husband, to be able to discuss things other than planning dinners and parties. And if I have kids, I would like to be able to take care of them and educate them myself. I wouldn't want them to spend more time with a nanny or a tutor than with their parents. But sadly, that's not how things are done for my kind."

"It's a simple dream. I don't know why it couldn't happen."

"A dream or an impossible quest?" she chuckled. "You know, two days ago, I wanted to help the nanny with changing Bobby's nappy. I thought she would have a stroke. She literally chased me out of the nursery as if I lost my mind. And later, I had a lecture from my mother. So, I would say it's an impossible dream…"

"I could show you that if you want."

Sybil raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Be careful Branson or my mother could transfer you from the garage to the house if she learns about your skill with babies," she joked.

"I love cars. But I wouldn't mind if it means seeing more of you…"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tom knew he went too far. What was wrong with him? Everything was going well and now he was starting to openly flirt with her. He heard Sybil's audible gasp but, as he was about to apologize to her, Bobby started to cry again.

"I'm afraid we have to go," she said, getting up quickly.

Tom nodded and got up too. He then gave her the baby back and started to gather his things.

"I'll walk you back and take the landau with me."

Once ready, they walked back slowly in silence, only sharing some banalities as Tom's words were still echoing in each of their minds, trying to define the meaning of them. At the garage, Tom stopped.

"I'll start to work on it immediately. It should be ready by tomorrow morning."

"It's your day off, Branson. I already have disturbed it enough without adding to your work. There's no hurry."

"I don't mind," he shrugged.

"Alright. Thank you then. For everything. The secret place, the talk and…the tips," she said, nodding to Bobby who was back to sleep, lulled by the movements of the walk.

"My pleasure, Milady. And don't forget. You can go to my secret place anytime or come to me in the garage. To read the newspaper, to talk…or just to escape the house," he added with a wink.

Sybil blushed but nodded with a smile.

"I will. Goodbye, Branson."

"Goodbye, Milady. Have a nice evening."

Sybil smiled again before turning around and rushing to the house. Tom watched her until she disappeared around the corner and sighed loudly. It had been an unexpected encounter but not an unpleasant one.

And that's how Sybil's many visits to Branson's garage started and how a beautiful love story took off…

 **The end**


End file.
